Online banking ‘could help’ debtors

Borrowers concerned with falling further into debt as a result of the ongoing postal strikes – and the possibility of national action being taken in October – could benefit from doing their banking online, an industry expert has suggested.

According to Amer Sajed, chief executive of Barclaycard UK, handling financial affairs over the internet will prevent problems such as postal strikes from having any impact through delaying payments and incurring fees.

“We want to make our customers’ lives as easy as possible and by managing their account online, customers can take control,” he said, adding that for those without access to the web, payments can be made over the telephone.

Earlier this month, it was seen that typical online family energy bills had fallen below £1,000 for the first time this year, thanks to a price war causing prices to drop – an indication that debtors might benefit from turning to the web to deal with their energy bills.

By Sarah Adie